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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
PM urged to officially announce Bimini reserve -
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister V. Alfred Gray’s claimed conservationists have yet to decide on the boundaries for the North Bimini Marine Reserve. In fact, its parameters have long been agreed, with requests for a slight expansion ignored by the Christie Administration. Calling for immediate action, stakeholders insist the ball is now firmly in the government’s court.
(Photo courtesy of Save The Bays)
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Save The Bays calls on government to take action following local council’s appeal for the island’s unique marine ecosystem to be protected
Nassau, Bahamas – Environmental advocate Lindsey McCoy has called on government to immediately announce the establishment of the North Bimini Marine Reserve (NMBR) to protect that island’s unique ecological heritage.
Noting that more than two months have passed since Bimini’s local council sent a letter asking the Christie administration to honor this longstanding promise, McCoy said there has been no response amid growing fears that the island’s sensitive mangrove forests may be under threat from development.
“A recently released image showing a golf course located within the NBMR boundaries has caused serious concern among Biminites,” McCoy said. “This is an area of unparalleled ecological importance, the mangroves providing a nursery for the marine life throughout the northern Bahamas.
“It must be protected at all costs, and I call on the Prime Minister to respond to the council and immediately grant their requests.
Save The Bays calls on government to take action -
Environmental advocate Lindsey McCoy has called on government to immediately announce the establishment of the North Bimini Marine Reserve (NMBR) to protect that island’s unique ecological heritage. Noting that more than two months have passed since Bimini’s local council sent a letter asking the Christie administration to honor this longstanding promise, McCoy said there has been no response amid growing fears that the island’s sensitive mangrove forests may be under threat from development.
(Photo courtesy of Save The Bays)
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In the letter, the council asked that the Christie administration commit to ensuring developers do not construct a golf course on the island, prevent any further development on the northern tip of North Bimini, and move swiftly to establish the NBMR.
It added: “It has become commonplace that major developments occur on our island without notice to its residents or to this elected council. We therefore respectfully ask that you respond to these requests as quickly as possible.”
McCoy, CEO of fast-growing social and environmental advocacy group Save The Bays, added that the government’s failure to respond to the local council has only added to the fears of Biminites – particularly as the reserve has had formal approval since 2008, and only needs to be officially gazetted.
The NMBR is one of several proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that conservationists want to see established in The Bahamas. An MPA is an area where human activity is placed under clearly defined restrictions in order to protect the marine or terrestrial environment, and often any cultural or historical resources that that may exist within its boundaries.
The golf course in question was among the original plans for Resorts World Bimini’s (RWB) controversial hotel and casino development which conservationists say has already caused extensive damage to the island’s renowned reef system, including many of the top dive sites in the region.
Despite RWB’s insistence that the golf course is now off the table, McCoy said the pattern of frequently changing plans has left many skeptical and in need of official assurance.
As for the claim by Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources V. Alfred Gray that the government is only waiting for conservationists to decide on the boundaries of the NBMR, McCoy pointed out that its proposed parameters have long been established.
McCoy said the ball is now in the government’s court – and a continued delay will be interpreted as a sign that the Christie administration is not serious about preserving the country’s priceless environmental resources for future generations of Bahamians.
In addition to STB and other local advocacy groups, the importance of the NBMR has been recognized by high-profile international conservation agencies including the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the global Waterkeeper Alliance and The Nature Conservancy, which said it has been working with government on the issue and will continue to support all efforts to make the reserve a reality.
Founded just over a year ago, Save The Bays has taken The Bahamas by storm. What began as a grassroots environmental awareness campaign quickly mushroomed to cover a variety of civic and social justice concerns and grievances as other advocacy groups flocked to STB’s banner.
The movement now has more than 500 registered members, the largest Facebook audience of any Bahamian NGO with 17,000 followers and more than 6,000 signatures on its petition calling for an Environmental Protection Act, a Freedom of Information Act and an end to unregulated development in The Bahamas.
STB membership is free. To learn more or sign the petition, visit: http://www.savethebays.bs
Background: North Bimini Marine Reserve
• An MPA for Bimini has been under discussion since 1982, when a letter from the Bahamas Diving Association to government noted the growing popularity of diving and fishing in the area, and pointed to the need to preserve the island’s marine resources in order to maintain these industries over the long term.
• In 1999, the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources proposed the creation of a nationwide network of MPAs covering 20% of Bahamian waters.
• At the time, North Bimini was listed at the highest priority site in the country, and was one of the first five MPAs slated for creation.
• Over the next several years, extensive meetings were held with local fishermen and stakeholders to decide the rules, regulations and boundaries that would best maintain Bimini’s existing fisheries and tourism product.
• On December 29, 2008, the North Bimini Marine Reserve was officially declared by then Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Larry Cartwright.
• In January 2009, at a town meeting to discuss the MPA and the findings of the recently finished Black & Veatch report which summarized the past and current scope of the then Bimini Bay Project, Phillip Weech from the Bahamas Environment, Science and Technology (BEST) Commission, announced to Biminites that the NBMR had been officially declared.
• During that meeting, it was clearly stated that a golf course would not be allowed on Bimini.
• In 2012, letters were sent to the newly-elected Christie administration requesting a slight expansion of the earlier boundaries of the NBMR, along with scientific justification for the changes.
• There was no response, and in a June 2012 meeting, Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe told stakeholders he had “never heard” of the NBMR, but promised to make inquiries and respond within 30 days.
• Wilchcombe failed to do so, and did not respond to numerous attempts by conservationists to contact him. Five months later, he suggested stakeholders talk to Minister of the Environment Kenred Dorsett.
• Since then, many dozens of emails and letters have been sent to ministers Wilchcombe, Dorsett and Gray concerning the NBMR, yet no substantive response has been forthcoming.
• During this time, the golf course resurfaced, this time on the RWB website. The company has since removed it, but it recently appeared on an image of the development circulated by real estate agencies.
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